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Monthly Archives: February 2013

Great. Huffington Post blogger Julie Spira has written about a new “condition” – Social Media Anxiety Disorder (SMAD). I’m glad this article didn’t have a test attached. I know where I would have scored.

I’m always a little irritated by people who rant about the horrors of Facebook. Of course – anything that consumes huge amounts of time, or that causes you to not do things you should do is an addiction, whether’s drinking, bingo, talking on the telephone, watching reality TV, or spending too much time on Facebook. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. And of course, have some common sense about what you do on Facebook – don’t rail at your boss, boast about your bank heist, or post pictures of your drunken debacle from Spring Break – in short, don’t post ANYTHING you wouldn’t want your mother, your boss, or the entire world to know, now or in the future. Just like that tattoo that seemed like such a good idea after a long night on Sixth Street, Facebook is forever. At least, for now.

But I’ve long been convinced that Facebook has some benefits, and research done at the University of Arizona suggests that this may be true, at least for senior citizens. A study of adult 68-91 showed a “25% improvement in tasks relating to working memory in new Facebook users.” But, just like everything on the internet, check this info out for yourself!

I have always believed that one of the biggest barriers to using new technology may not be the lack of funds for new technology, but the lack of sufficient teacher training. Here are two interesting articles on that subject.

Thinking about introducing iPads to your learning environment? The Campus Technology website offers some suggestions on avoiding some of the pitfalls that are often overlooked in the zeal to get the newest and best technology on the ground as fast as possible.

The world has changed since I was in school, oh so long ago. I still regret not taking Typing, but I was going to save the world, and I was positive that it would not require typing. Turns out, I was so wrong!

Computer literacy was the buzz phrase when I was working in the computer lab in the public school a few years ago, and now literacy encompasses much, much more than just keyboarding skills. I knew teachers who resented “taking time from teaching to have kids learn about computers” – but this is the world they are growing up into. Computer skills is not a separate “subject” – our challenge now is making its use a part of the curriculum, not a separate subject (as Typing was, back in my high school).